Car-coupling



(No Model.)

L. O. MARTIN.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 485,829. Patented Nov. 8, 1892.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAZARUS C. MARTIN, OF GREENCASTLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 485,829, dated November 8, 1892.

Application filed March 3, 1892- $erial No. 423,616. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LAZARUS C. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greencastle, in the county of Franklin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Car-Coupling, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in car-couplings.

The object of the present invention is to simplify and improve the construction of carcouplings and to provide one which may be readily operated from the sides or the top of a car, thereby obviating the necessity of persons going between cars and greatly facilitating the making up of trains.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of a car-coupling constructed in accord ance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a draw-head having a flaring mouth 2 and having journaled transversely of it a rock-shaft 3, which is provided at its middle with a depending link-engaging arm 4, arranged within the longitudinal opening 5 of the draw-head, formed by a bend of the rock-shaft. The arm 4 of the rockshaft is held in a vertical position against a shoulder 6 of the bottom of the draw-head by a spiral spring 7, which is disposed on the rock-shaft and is arranged in one of the bearing-openings of the draw-head. The said arm 4 is adapted to be forced rearward against the action of the spring by a link 8 when two cars come together, thereby coupling the cars au tomatically. The uncoupling of the cars may be performed at the sides of a car by turning handles 10 at the ends of the rock-shaft and from the top of a car by a rod 11, provided at its upper end with a handle and having its lower end connected with a rearwardly extending horizontally-disposed arm 12 of the rock-shaft.

Should it be desirable to couple a car having the improved coupler-head with a car having one of the ordinary construction, it may be readily done by simply engaging the link with the arm 4; but the draw-head 1 is provided with a pin-opening 14, in which is arranged a coupling-pin 15, adapted to be used in case the arm of the rock-shaft should become broken or the couplingbe rendered temporarily defective from some other cause.

It will be seen that the car-coupling is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction and that the operation of coupling and uncoupling may be readily performed from the top or at the sides of the car and without necessitating a person going between cars and that shifting of cars and making up of trains is greatly facilitated. It will also be seen that should the coupling become injured in any manner the ordinary pin-and-liuk coupling can be employed.

The flaring mouth of the draw-head enables cars having draw-heads at difierent height-s to be readily coupled without employing other link lifting mechanisms, as a link will be guided by the bevel or incline of the mouth of the draw-head into the opening thereof.

What I claim is In a car-coupling, the combination, with an ordinary link, of a draw-head having a longitudinal opening and provided with a shoulder at the bottom of the same and having a coupling-pin perforation arranged in rear of and close to the shoulder, whereby the point of engagement with a link will always be at the same point, a rock-shaft journaled in the draw-head and provided with a central depending link-eugaging arm formed by a bend of the rock-shaft and arranged within the opening of the draw-head and adapted to bear against the shoulder thereof, a spring holding the arm in engagement with the shoulder, handles arranged at the ends of the rock-shaft and located at the sides of a car, and a rod designed to extend to the top of a car and connected with the rock-shaft, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LAZARUS C. MARTIN.

Witnesses:

PAXTUS M. OANTNEE, J. P. TALHELM. 

